Insect pollination of Anacardium occidentale L., Mangifera indica L., Blighia sapida Koenig and Persea americana Mill.
Free J. B., Williams I. H.
Author Affiliation: Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden, UK.
Tropical Agriculture 53 : 125-139
Abstract : This paper reports preliminary observations made in Jamaica and Kenya on the pollination of cashew, mango, akee and avocado. In Jamaica, flowers of all 4 crops were visited by many Polistes wasps but these were not such efficient pollinators as the less numerous honeybees. In Jamaica and Kenya, mango and cashew were often relatively unattractive to honeybees compared with other crops nearby. In Kenya no wasps but numerous ants visited cashew and mango flowers. Bagging flowers of cashew and mango, to prevent insect pollination, diminished set. The proportion of hermaphrodite flowers, yield and set of cashew, mango and akee varied greatly from tree to tree.